Julian Edelman resigns with New England Patriots

Wide receiver Julian Edelman resigned with the New England Patriots on Tuesday. The deal comes shortly after Wes Walker signed with the Denver Broncos and Edelman became a free agent last week.

Edelman had drawn interest from other teams while he was on the free agent market. The San Francisco 49ers were one of the teams that had interest in him. The new deal is for four years and worth $17 million, with $8 million in bonuses and guarantees and $2 million in incentives, according to ESPN.

"It was definitely, it wasn't that tough to be honest with you," Edelman said. "You go on these trips and these visits and everything, and you see these wonderful organizations."

He went on to add, "You know, I got to go home and see the Niners, and I grew up a huge Niners fan. But being in New England the last five years, that's just home. I mean, that's just home for me right now and just the way the mentality of the team, how everything's done -- the scheme, the players, the locker room, the fans."

This year will be Edelman’s sixth season in the NFL. Last year was his best season as he had a breakout year. He set career highs in catches (105), receiving yards (1,056), and touchdowns (6), according to the Boston Globe. In the last six games of the regular season he led the NFL with 53 catches.

The Patriots have been busy this offseason. They signed cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. Tight end Michael Hoomanawanui has signed a two-year, $2.4 million deal with the Patriots. Edelman isn’t the only receiver to sign with the Patriots recently however. Former Carolina Panthers receiver Brandon LaFell signed a three-year deal with them on Saturday. LaFell had 49 catches for 627 yards and five touchdowns last year, and has 167 catches, 2,385 yards, and 13 touchdowns in four season in the NFL.

The Patriots still have some work to do this offseason. They have to decide what to do with Vince Wilfork and negotiate with LeGarrette Blount, Devin McCourty, Nate Solder, and Stephen Gostkowski.